If you find it hard to sort out facts from fiction these days, you aren’t alone. Increasingly, the internet is flooded with misinformation, disinformation, and social media specifically intended to confuse.
Dr. Robert Hogan, Professor of Political Science at LSU, says confusion is the entire point for bad actors. “This is an increasing problem, given that people don’t always know how to separate legitimate news sources from rumors. Even politicians that hold high office have sometimes made claims that don’t have much validity”, Hogan says.
With November being just around the corner, falsehoods will be flying from both sides of the aisle and even from sources labeled as “news” that cater more to the entertainment factor. Dr. Hogan notes that some “news sources” are actually trying to confuse people, depending on the agenda of that network. “If people are somewhat in the middle on certain things, they may want to sew seeds of doubt in their minds about particular issues or particular politicians. It’s very difficult to figure out what the agenda is for some of these so-called news sources. While some of them are actually news sources, others are simply trying to influence people,”
Ultimately, Hogan recommends sticking to trusted news sources and away from the more nebulous world of blogs and social media for news. With so many nefarious actors preying on the spread of misinformation, being aware and familiar with where your news comes from can be crucial.